


Speaking of Annika

by ozsaur



Category: We need to talk about Annika - Simon Stålenhag
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5465759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozsaur/pseuds/ozsaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annika invites a  friend for a walk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speaking of Annika

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cadmean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cadmean/gifts).



> I would like to thank my betas, who helped even though they were busy with their own projects. You guys rock!
> 
> Happy holiday, cadmean!

“It's on the other side of that field,” Annika said, pointing.

Lucas took a reluctant step forward, then stopped again. “We shouldn't be here,” he said.

She refused to turn back for him, so instead held her hand out. “There aren't any laws against it,” she said. “It isn't forbidden.”

“But it's dangerous.”

“I've been here many times, Lucas, and I'm fine. I've seen a lot of different things, and I'm still whole. There's nothing to worry about.”

Lucas took another step forward, and took her hand. Smiling, Annika tugged him along, the tall grass whispering around their legs as they walked.

Lucas was a quiet and earnest boy who'd had a crush on her for years. He'd never said a word, but he'd always looked so sad when he saw her out with someone else. He'd been thrilled when she'd asked him to walk with her – but he'd been less than thrilled when he'd found out where she wanted to go.

His steps got slower and slower, until Annika finally squeezed his hand, and said, “It really is safe, you know.”

“My uncle was killed by one. He tried to dig it out of his garden with a shovel, and it sliced him into a thousand pieces.”

“But that was a long time ago,” Annika said, “when they first showed up. Most of the dangerous ones have been hauled away.”

“And dumped out here.”

“The worst ones were taken by the government. I bet the one that killed your uncle is in a warehouse somewhere, or a laboratory.”

“It's still there. They couldn't figure out how to remove it without triggering it. No one goes into the garden any more.”

“I'm sorry,” Annika said, already bored with the conversation.

There was a dip in the ground that was harder to walk through, but when they finally emerged, they could see it standing there. Annika heard Lucas gasp; she knew exactly how he felt. Her heart felt light in her chest, almost as if she could rise on the air. That first sight of it always made her feel as if she could fly.

It was a great hulk of a thing: faded paint, rusting seams, dents, and missing parts. The Council had examined the weapons, and deemed them safe, or at least lacking ammunition. Since the weapons couldn't be removed from the robot, they'd left the whole thing standing there like a monument to someone else's war. 

In spite of all that, it was still magnificent. Annika loved it best of all, which is why she always went there first.

Annika ran forward and put her hands on it, feeling the grit of dirt and rust coating the cold metal.

“Wait! Don't touch it!”

“Look at it, Lucas! Isn't it amazing?” 

She reached up and found the cleverly placed hand and footholds, probably put there for the pilot. She was barely off the ground when Lucas shouted in alarm.

“What are you doing? Get down from there!”

She grinned down at him. “Meet me at the top. Can you think of a better place to share a first kiss?” It was fun watching his face turn bright red.

She made it to the top and rolled over the side into the seat. It was wide enough for one very big person or two slim people. When Lucas got in next to her, they were close and cozy. The seat was cold, but Lucas felt warm against her. She nudged him until he put his arm around her.

The first kiss was nice, but the second was better. There were several more after that, his hand cupping her face, pulling her in like he didn't want to let her go.

They broke apart, and Annika rested her head on his shoulder. 

“It's beautiful up here,” she said.

“Yes, it is,” he murmured, playing with a lock of her hair. 

She smiled, knowing that he wasn't talking about the view.

Eventually, the restlessness took hold of her again.

“C'mon, there's more to see.”

“Can't we just stay here?” he asked, trying to hold her back.

“Hah! And you didn't even want to come here in the first place.” 

Quickly, she went over the side.

This time, as they walked, he stayed by her side, sometimes clasping her hand, sometimes with his arm around her. Even walking under the sagging wires of a line of Machines, all lit up and apparently still working, didn't make him slow down. 

This was the longest part of the journey. They were already far from town. The sky was cloudy and overcast; it would be dark by the time they got home, and she knew her parents would give her those concerned looks like they always did when she'd been out wandering. The whispers would start the moment she finished dinner, and went to her room. She didn't care, as long as they didn't lecture her again.

“There's a lot of Machines out here. Don't you want to look at them?”

“We will, but I want you to see this one first. It's special.”

“Oh?”

“You'll see.”

She quickened her steps, almost to a jog. There were wildflowers growing here, dots of purple and white popping through the yellow grass. The two structures stood above it all on tiers of concrete steps. 

“Ugh, what is that smell?” Lucas stopped and put his hand over his nose.

“There must be a dead animal out here somewhere,” Annika said. 

“Must be more than one animal, the smell is really bad.”

The wind shifted, the smell faded to just an unpleasant background note. 

“It'll only take a minute, then we can go home.”

She guided him up the steps, her hands on his back. This one was partially open, while the other was closed. Thick cables connected them, but most of the cables were tangled, and some drooped to the ground, weeds sprouting between the coils. The door was a faded red shield that lifted up, and they had to bend down to see inside.

“There are lights inside. How is that possible? The Machines aren't connected to any power grids.”

“I don't know. No one knows.” She gave him a little push. “What else do you see in there?”

“It's dark in there, I can't really tell. Some buttons, I think.” He bent even more, cautiously sticking his head inside. He twisted a little, and looked up. “There's a lever up there. And more lights. Huh! Some writing, but it's too dark to read.”

He moved deeper into the structure, her hands urging him on. 

“I can see a few letters, but I need to wipe it off to read the whole thing.”

His feet crossed over the threshold, and he was all the way in. The door slid shut with a bang as loud as a gunshot. 

Annika ran down the steps, crossed over to the other structure, and ran up the tier of steps it was sitting on. She waited impatiently as the Machine made grinding noises that she could feel through her shoes. There were a few loud chuffs, then a groan that wound down to a low buzz that died away.

A minute later, the door slid up just high enough to let Lucas fall stumble out. She caught him, and helped him to sit down on one of the steps. Lucas clutched his head, and breathed hard for several long minutes. 

“It's okay,” she said, rubbing his back. 

He sucked in a deep breath. “The headache's going away already. Let's get out of here.”

Slinging an arm around her shoulders, Lucas guided them away from the structures, though not back the way they had come.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You said there was more stuff to look at,” he said.

“Oh, yes, plenty!” she replied, delighted.

The wind shifted and brought a new coppery note to the rank smell of decay. She glanced back at the sound of liquid splashing, but Lucas didn't hear, or didn't care. Either way, he didn't seem interested enough to go look. 

Lucas took the lead, going from one Machine to another, asking questions. Annika answered as best she could, telling him everything she'd learned after years of exploration. There was other detritus out there, weird objects that weren't Machines, but weren't made by their world either. 

Lucas heaved over a couple of the broken box things, their tops and sides riddled with holes. There might have been something in them at one time, but they were now all empty except for bird's nests, or the bones of dead animals.

“What do you think was in there?” Lucas asked, kicking at one of the boxes.

“I don't know, but I imagine they had Machines in them.”

“They look like packing crates. What do you want to bet they were used for shipping ladies' underwear?”

That surprised a laugh out of her. “Maybe they were full of toys,” she said.

He held his arms out wide. “Maybe all of them are toys. Maybe they were meant to be gifts for us.”

“Dangerous toys for gifts?”

He grabbed her, and spun her around, dancing her in circles, both of them laughing. They turned 'round and 'round until they found themselves inside one of the big boxes, this one full of interesting things. Lights sparkled overhead, like stars in the sky, and there was a door leading somewhere else. He pushed her back against a wall, and stared into her eyes.

“Maybe they expected us to be smart enough to figure them out before they killed us.”

“Or before they did something else,” she whispered.

He swooped in for an electrifying kiss, not at all like the gentle ones they'd shared on top of the robot. When it was over, she was left breathless, and just a little dizzy. 

He held her close, nuzzling her neck. Oh, she liked this bolder, brighter Lucas! He was exciting enough that she might just stay with him a while. But there were other people, and other possibilities. When she brought a friend out here, she never knew what might happen.

For now, she was eager to see what this Lucas might do next.


End file.
